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I came across this quote today, "Every day, we should be striving to learn something new. We should have an unquenchable curiosity for the world around us." That curiosity is what drives me every day when I go to an auction or flea market to hunt for antiques. If I'm lucky, I'll find something I know nothing about and learn about a new manufacturing technique, material, artisan or bit of history associated with the item. Which brings me to another quote, this one from Einstein, "The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know." In the...

The other day, during a brief exchange with my Starbucks barista, it came out that I am an antiques dealer, to which she replied "You know what they say about antiques dealers?" Frankly, no. But was curious, so I played along, saying "What?", but all I was expecting to hear was something along the lines of "They're all hoarders." Much to my surprise the actual response was "They lost something precious in a past life, and are searching for it in this one." Mind blown. As I stood there, waiting for my green tea latte, pondered what my MacGuffin could possibly be, taking a mental inventory...

Initially I was going to paint the walls of the store in Tiffany Blue, but as I was scrolling through Google Images of English Drawing Rooms, I can across one done in a rich green, and I fell in love with it. It's too soon to really get the feel of it because it still mostly empty, but it feels right already. One of the things I liked best about the color is how both oak and mahogany furniture really stands out. And although I don't have any paintings hung yet, I'm sure gilt wood frames will pop as well....

Recently at a flea market, I came across a vase that had a provenance sticker on the bottom. I didn't buy the vase because of a condition issue, but I had the presence of mind to photograph the sticker. The sticker came from a now defunct London antique store specializing in Staffordshire pottery, called Oliver Sutton Antiques. What resonated with me was the last line on the label, "Guaranteed Genuine." With very rare exception, all on the items I deal in are in fact genuine antiques, the exception being the occasional period made reproduction. It's a good bit of marketing, and...

I just signed the lease on my first retail location two weeks ago, and I'm due to get the keys May 1st. There's a maddening amount of to-do items on my list, and seemingly not enough time or money to do them. The bulk of my items primarily fall into two categories, security and decor. I need new locks, grates, security cameras and an alarms system. Then I need to make it pretty. Paint & wallpaper, followed by display cases and pieces of furniture to be used for display. Once that's sorted out, I need to move in. I've been accumulating...